Bottomless
by CheshireNeko122
Summary: Mefreet Herondale feels as if she's going to die. She has a fever, and her skin is flaking. But one day, she mysteriously drowns while exploring the ocean floor. But the mystery is, she gets up afterwards. What is prompting her to stay alive?
1. Chapter 1: Light

~I don't own Dark Life~

**This category only has 6 stories, which means not many people know about the book. SO here's a brief explanation. Dark Life is about people who live on the bottom of the ocean, due to global warming flooding the mainland. Now, people are packed like sardines into stack houses, and put their children into foster homes. But the pioneers, they have all the space they want. But, some believe the pressure of the ocean is changing the children's brains, giving them mysterious powers. This story doesn't have Ty or Gemma in it. This is a completely made up character of mine. Mefreet is a water-sprite-y name, so I chose that. She is a girl, so don't get confused. ENJOY. **

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~**Bottomless**~

It felt like I was dying. Every fiber of my being was screaming out in pain, rejecting any medicine they gave me. My sister always sat at my bedside, worrying over my health. I was deathly ill with an unknown disease. I always had a high fever, and the skin in-between my fingers, as well as my ears started to flake, bleeding and pussing. It was horrible, whatever had come upon me. Not even the soft swaying motion of the great ocean could calm me. Every once in a while, my parents would come to my bed with a new doctor, one that would be just as clueless as the last. They didn't even know where I'd contracted this strange illness. They had all accepted the fact that I was going to die. I was the first-born child underwater, Mefreet Herondale, and I was going to die underwater. I was only 14 years old.

But one day, I was feeling healthier than usual. So healthy, I was able to get out of my bed. It still hurt as if the demon was burning my insides, but I could walk. I carefully padded down the stairs, almost vomiting with my effort. My mother was busying herself with organizing the equipment cabinets, while my sister, Lily was playing with a goldfish. No one seemed to notice that I'd emerged from my death bed. Walking over to my mother, I alerted her to my presence.

"Oh, Mefreet! You should be in bed, you're not well enough to be walking!" She screeched, grabbing my arm. I groaned in pain as a bruise rose from under her fingers.

"Mom, considering I'm walking, I think I'm well enough." I told her. "I just want to go out for a few minutes."

"What? You can't do that! You'll get swept away by the current, or lost, or-"

"Mom, I know the ocean better than anyone else down here, and I won't go far." I told her. "It'll make me feel better."

After squabbling with her until she let me go, I shakily pulled on a wet suite. I didn't bother to inhale liquigen, because it would be a waste. I was only going to be out for 5 minutes. As I plunged into the moon pool, I was overcome with a sense of relief, as if the ocean would make everything better. Climbing down the ladder, I stretched my legs as I walked along the sand. Looking up, I saw that a boat was passing over the homestead. I let my mind wander as to what it'd be like to live above water. All my brain thought of was that it'd be dirty.

I bent down to brush a sea star on one of its sea star legs, which felt spongy and hard. I looked up again. The boat was lower in the water, closer to the homestead.

_Did the tide change…? _I thought.

The boat or what I thought was a boat, shot downwards, circling around me. It was a bad day to go outside, considering a pack of great white sharks were now circling around me. I had forgotten to take a weapon, for I knew the fence would keep them out. It must be broken.

Trying to sprint underwater for the ladder, one of them swished its tail next to me, sending me careening away in a whirlpool of bubbles. I landed on my back, and watched as their black, merciless eyes zeroed in on me. One came way to close to me, and when he was passing by, he whipped his tail against me helmet. The glass shattered, water flooding into my broken helmet, as the sharks decided I was boring, and swam away. I was so startled that I tried to breath, salt water flooding my nose. It stung into my eyes, and had me seeing shapes. I couldn't breathe. The pressure was crushing my head, squeezing my eyes shut. I tried to stand up, but I was too weak to do it. With one last helpless glance at the moon pool, hoping someone would see my distress; I let out the remaining air in my lungs.

I watched the bubbles float up to the surface as my world spiraled away, leaving me deflated on the ocean floor.


	2. Chapter 2: Evolution

The soft humming of the ocean whispered into my ears, a string of seaweed tickling my neck. My head felt as if it had been crushed, but it slowly faded. I knew I had drowned, and I knew my heaven would be the ocean. I didn't open my eyes; the ocean was soothing and I wanted to enjoy it a little more. I thought of my mother, how she had begged me to stay inside, and of my Father who was never home. I just wished I could have spent more time with him while I was alive.

Knowing I ought to explore this 'heaven' or whatever it was, I opened my eyes. I was dazzled of how identical heaven was to my actual home. My house was the same, my Cruiser was the same. Even my sister staring out the window in horror, her mouth agape was the same. Wait…she didn't always do that. Something wasn't the same. I stood up on the ocean floor. My vision was foggy, so I took my hand up to brush the dust of my helmet. My hand slapped against my face, considering there wasn't anything there.

Alarm seeped into my veins, making my limbs buzz with the eerie sense that something was horribly wrong. I could breathe. I was underwater. Put 2 and 2 together, and you get the fact that somehow, I was breathing under water. I pinched my cheek, and pain nipped my skin, as it turned red. I wasn't dead, in fact, I felt very much alive. My heart had a healthy beat, and my arms didn't feel wooden anymore. My ears didn't burn, and my headache had subsided. Had drowning healed me?

I felt as if I would throw up, though, but perhaps not from sickness. I swam as fast as I could to my ladder, and bolted up the rungs, like a hungry squid climbing on its prey. Without even seeing if my mother was in the vicinity, I bolted for the Sanitary Shower, and locked the door.

I peeled off my dive skin, as I child would anticipate a present as they peeled off the wrapper. After I was standing stark in my under wear, I observed myself in the mirror. My skin was a healthy shade, and it didn't seem I was ill. I reached up to touch my face, and recoiled in horror. My fingers were long and sharp, with a webbed membrane connecting them. I picked at it, seeing as it was a thin layer of skin. My toes had suffered the same fate.

My heartbeat sped up in my chest, making my breathing heavy and my blood rush. I accidently knocked my hair brush off of the counter and gasped as the sound came much louder than I anticipated. I could hear it echoing off the walls, smashing into my ears. I came close to the mirror, turning my head to observe. My ears where just like my hands; 3 sharp prongs jutted backwards, a membrane of skin connecting them. The flicked earnestly as I examined them. So that's why my hearing was better.

Next were my eyes. Both my corneas had expanded to almost my entire eye, a small pupil resting in the center. In fact, I hadn't noticed, but colors had become more vibrant, and lines more sharp. So maybe that was what my sickness was, just preparing for such a radical change. It was like a caterpillar, making a cocoon and sleeping the winter away to become a glorious butterfly. I almost retched into the sink at the thought of what my family would think of me. I had become like a fish, someone who could swim under water.

Deciding they weren't ready for such an outburst, I slipped my dive suit back on and presented myself.

"Oh, Mefreet, you're back! How was it out there?" my Mother asked.

Well, Mom, I was attacked by a bunch of killer sharks, in which led to my drowning. After waking up, I realized I had become this disgusting fishy thing, with webbed hands and feet. My ears are like that of a lizard, and my eyes can see everything almost 4 dimensionally. These were all things I could say, but I just decided "Good." Was fine.

"That's nice. Hey, are you feeling better?" She asked.

"Um…well, yeah, I'm feeling a lot better. My fever is gone…." I said. "And my head doesn't hurt."

"Wonderful! Maybe that's all you needed, a swim!" she squealed.

Sighing in exasperation, I said I was tired, and went up to my room. I remembered the face my sister had made, upon seeing me drown and then get back up. Taking a detour to my sister's room, I opened the door. I saw her huddled on her bed, shivering uncontrollably.

"Lily?" I said.

She bolted up, and whipped her head in my direction. Her eyes filled with tears, as she careened towards me and wrapped me in a hug.

"But…but, I SAW you d-d-"she stammered in between sobs.

"Shhh, I know. Just don't tell Mom." I whispered, comforting her. "I'm alright."

After sitting her on her bed, and explaining what I had discovered to her, she seemed more excited than traumatized.

"So, you're like a fishy?" she squealed.

"Um, yes, I guess you could say that." I said.

"Yay! Hey, if you're swimming around, you have to bring me any cool fish you see!" she ordered, pointing at my face. "Treasure, too!"

I giggled at her earnestness at her new found play-thing, but I suddenly turned grave.

"But, Lily, you have to keep it a secret. If mom found out, I might have to leave, and that would mean never coming back." I whispered. "So, please don't tell anyone. If someone's going to tell them, it'll be me."

"Oh…alright, Meffy." She said. She was too young to pronounce 'Mefreet' so she called me that.

After assuring her that I would be able to keep it a secret, I slipped off to bed. My room still smelled like death and illness, but it would soon dissipate. I crawled into bed, my new rubbery skin uncomfortable against the sheets. I wish I could sleep in the moon pool, always surrounded by water. But someone would surely find my, motionless in the water and freak out. Slipping into an awkward sleep, I awaited the next day.


	3. Chapter 3: Outing

I groggily sat up in bed, suddenly over aware of all the things in my room. My head pounded with the absence of sleep, as well as the remaining waves of my sickness. Looking around my room, I realised that everything was fine.

_So yesterday was just a dream..._ I thought. Feeling a sudden ichy sensation on my neck, I reached up to scratch it. Turns out it really just was my dried-out gills, begging to be moisturized. Giving a sigh of belated hopes, I hopped out of bed. I could cover my ears with my long hair, and could wear gloves and shoes. I could put on a wet suit, and say I wanted to go out right in the morning.

Padding down the stairs, all covered up, I sat at the breakfast table. I was surprised when I saw my Father in the kitchen. He was always on the top side, trading exotic fish and black pearls. He was only home about 9 days a month. Lily was still taking it a little hard, because she always felt as if the house was emptier without him. I was always spiteful towards my Father, for never being there for me, or Lily. But he put bread on the table, or fish to say, so I had never confronted him on it.

He smiled at me, a smile I haden't seen in so long it felt forign to me. He walked over and wrapped me in an embrace.

"Mefreet, I haven't seen you in so long! Hey...you're skin feels different..." he said, grinning.

"Um...It's a new...moisturiser... " I mumbled. It was sort of true.

"Sure, sure. Hey, we're having eggs for breakfast, do you mind getting some from the livestock holder?" he said, still smiling.

"Sure..." I said, walking down to the cellar. We had several goats and chickens, all of which were used mainly for resources. Walking over to the coop where all the chickens were held, I plucked a few eggs from under them. They squawked excitedly, passing gossip between each other.

Cradling them in my arms, I walked upstairs and gave them to my Father.

"Hey, why are you in a wet suit so early?" he asked, sounding genuinely confused.

"Oh, I just...wanted to go out...earlier..."I mumbled. Why was I so uncomfortable with my dad? I should be happy to see him, but I'm more nervous than happy.

After saying good morning to my sister, quickly eating breakfast and hurrying to the moon pool, I finally had the ocean all to myself. I sat on the edge, slowly peeling off my suit. My itchy gills had progressed to burning, inflamed gills. They cried out for water, anything to quench their thirst for the salty ocean current.

I dipped a bare leg into the water, and was surprised that it was nice and warm. Usually, divers had to wear wet suits to keep the coldness of the ocean from freezing them. The ocean to me felt as if it were a bath, poured earlier. Neither hot, nor cold.

Plunging into the cold tendrils of the powerful ocean, my body instantly relaxed. My ears flared out, catching every blip and thunk of the surrounding area. My gills stopped burning with a fiery intensity, and started filtering the water around me, picking the oxygen from it and releasing the used liquid.

I took a deep breath, and was surprised that it felt just like breathing air. It came easily and quickly, without sputtering or friction. It was quite amazing. Using my newly webbed digits, I swam through the ocean at the speed of a manta board. It felt as if I were a mini-sub, untraceable and unidentifiable. I realized that fish were swarming around me. I noticed that I was automatically sending out electro-magnetic waves through the water, channelling fish towards me.

Releasing my hold on the fish, I watched them swim away, and become surprised as they found themselves trapped inside the bubble fence. Maybe I could help my family, by luring in any strange fish. I looked up at my house, to see an excited looking Lily staring at me through her window.

I swam up to her, placing my sticky fingers on the glass and smiling. She quickly darted away, and came back holding a book. She pressed it up against the glass, where the pages were flipped to a picture of a particularly colourful fish. It looked as if a unicorn had barfed on it, with its immaculate scales, and its shining fins. She obviously wanted me to find it. Nodding my head, I swam around to the other side of the house.

I had a secret moon pool in my room, about the size of a small window. No one knew about it, and I doubt even Lily knew about it. Creeping inside, I opened the hatch and dripped across the room. Taking one of my utility belts, I wrapped it around m waist and began plucking things from my shelves. I took a long, barbed spear I found in some Aztec ruins, a net that ran the length of my entire body, and a compass to keep me from getting lost.

Reciting the image of the fish in my mind, I slipped through the small port hole, and swam off. My items reduced my speed, but not by much.

I watched as the colourful reefs sped by underneath me, looking like colourful buildings jutting from the ground. It felt as if I were a bird, flying over a colourful city. I could see this any time I want.

I passed over Cold Sleep Canyon, which had depths that were insulted by the Grand Canyon, as well as monsters that struck fear even into the hearts of the Seablight gang. Proceeding over to the place where the best kelp grew, I saw as angelic swarms of fish gathered here and there to munch on the algae. They swooped and twirled through the oceanic wakes, splitting the water like a knife through a block of butter.

I saw a particularly small school of fish, which was densely populated by the fish that Lily wanted. They were like a group of rainbows, floating through the ocean, dazzling all the other fish with their glowing presence. I was caught off guard by their beauty, left dazzled by their sparkling colors. Shaking myself from my fantasies, I hefted my net and called the fish to me. They seemed reluctant at first, but gave way to my sweet, singing calls of persuasion.

I only called to the specific cloud of fish, leaving all the others to do as they pleased. They flocked towards me, swimming around me like a cloak made of rainbows. I snatched one with my net, startling the others. They sped off, forgetting their lost friend. Would I be forgotten like that?

Feeling rather depressed for taking the little guy, I brought it back knowing I'd want to help my sister with this newfound evolution. If I appeared useless, of course they would discard me.

Quickly climbing up my small ladder into my moon pool, I quickly filled a bowl with sea water and plopped the fish into it. It seemed to relax as soon as it was engulfed by the shimmering water. I knew what that felt like.

Presenting it to my sister, she squealed with happiness and gladly accepted the fish. I just hoped my parents would be that happy when they found out.


	4. Chapter 4: Away

**Warning: Mature Content**

For the next few days, I mainly spent my time in my room or sneaking out through my port hole. My parents didn't have the slightest clue as to what I had turned in to, and I wanted it to stay that way. Lily had given me several assignments for certain fish, plants or even reefs, and I had gotten them all. I liked helping her, although Mom was getting curious as to how she had so many fish lately. I told her that I had went out and got them, and she believed me. I wasn't lying.

I would go out more and more often now, my gills craving the ocean almost every day. Instead of attacking me, the dangerous fish of the deep joined me, swimming alongside me and helping me with my fishing. I had considered this to be a dark gift at first, but I know this is way beyond a slight change to the brain. Something was wrong with me, but I didn't want it fixed.

But one morning, it all changed. My fantasies were ripped away from me, replaced with a deep hatred in myself, of what I was. My family had abandoned me, dumping me outside into the cold, lonely ocean to fend for myself. It happened all so fast, it felt like a dream.

What had happened was I had heard a crash in the night. My hearing was extra sensitive, so it must have just been one of the fish smacking against the house. Settling back to sleep, I heard a bigger crash. A bigger fish? I think not. I jumped out of bed, and slithered towards the stairs. My night-vision alerted me to a figure standing by the moon pool. It was quite larger than my mother, or my father, so I knew it was a stranger. My mind suddenly leaped to the possibility that it was an outlaw, come to steal my family away.

I tip toed to my parents room, to see them wrapped in a sleepy, automatic embrace. Yuck. I touched my father's shoulder, just to have him roll over, grunting. I slapped him lightly, getting a groggily angry face staring up at me.

"Mefreet, what do you want?" he growled, sitting up.

"Dad...there's someone in the house..." I whispered.

He immediately got dressed, and woke up Mom. They grabbed an emergency spear gun from the closet, and followed me down the stairs.

"He's right there...by the moon pool..." I whispered. I was glad that in the dark, they couldn't see my gills.

My Father primed his weapon, and continued moving towards the figure. It seemed to lurk about, unsure of where to go. My mother motioned me to turn on the lights, so I crept over to the kitchen and flicked the switch. I covered my neck as the house was instantly bathed in a white light, startling the intruder so much he almost fell in the moon pool.

It was one of the ugliest outlaws I had ever seen. His skin was crawling with ridges and pock marked with scars and small holes, wounds from a battlefield. His eyes seemed to glow an ivory white, missing pupils and corneas. He grinned at me, and I swore his mouth was nothing but a festering wound, ridges seeping from his lips where they had been split countless times.

"Who are you? What are you doing in my house?" my Father growled, aiming the spear gun.

"Kehehe...just thought I'd say hello." He whispered sweetly. He had such a lisp; it was hard to understand what he was saying. He was obviously missing several teeth.

"Dirty outlaw...you'd better get out of here!" My mother shrieked, although it was useless. He just kept sauntering along the wall, examining a vase I had collected from an abandoned homestead.

My Father seemed to have enough. He fired the spear gun, and it catapulted straight towards the outlaw's heart, dead on. It would have hit its mark, if the man hadn't been faster than the spear itself. He grabbed it out of the air, as if it were a small fly. The spear was tethered to the gun by a thick rope, so he effortlessly ripped it out of Father's hands and threw it aside. "Kehehe...awww. Almost." He teased.

My parents backed away in fear, clearly intimidated by the man. My sister sleepily stepped out of her room, rubbing her eyes. "What's all the noise...?" she whispered.

She walked down the stairs, and locked eyes with the outlaw. Her scream pierced the air, but was quickly silenced by my Father. "What do you want?" he yelled, his voice trembling.

"Aww. What a cutie~ I could add you to my collection~" he smiled, scratching his bald head. His earrings jingled as his head swayed. "Tell you what. You give me the little cutie, and I'll leave."

My Father steamed with rage, as if this was the biggest insult he had ever received. "You bastard…"

"Well, if you won't give me THAT one, maybe I'll just take THIS ONE!" he screamed, grabbing me by the hair. I let out a shriek of surprise as he swung me through the air, so I was standing in front of him. My sister cried out, as tears poured from my mother's eyes.

"Well, now, you're quite a pretty one." He sang sweetly, stroking my hair. I trembled in fear as he backed up towards the moon pool. I struggled in his grasp, but just got a clock on the head for my efforts. I saw stars for a moment, but when I regained my composure, I realized he was holding my head right over the moon pool.

"Go on, girly. Don't you wanna come with me instead of drowning?" he whispered, his spittle hitting my neck. I whimpered in fear, but I said nothing.

"Hrmm. Well, I guess you'll have to GO!" he shouted, shoving me into the water. My reflexes told me 'get out of the water!' so I floundered for a moment before realizing I could breathe. But if I drowned, he'd let me sink. So I put on a good show, of screaming underwater and splashing. He cackled into the air as I slowed my movements. I could hear my family shouting as I went limp in the water.

I sank for a little, planning my escape. Once I got out though, my family would know. I began swimming to the house, when something almost crashed into me. It was a spear gun, and it had one spear left. Perfect.

I grabbed it, and primed my shot. I could see him standing by the moon pool, shouting something. I aimed straight at his chest. It didn't have to be his heart, just a strong enough place to drag him into the water. Knowing that I was possibly giving up my whole future, I pulled the trigger. The spear screamed out of the barrel, shooting me back in the water. It broke the surface of the moon pool, careening straight through the outlaw's chest. He gave a confused, startled gurgling sound before I retracted the rope, dragging him through the moon pool.

He gave me a confused look as he drifted down to the bottom. We had a few carnivorous fish in our homestead, so they quickly went to work on his mutilated chest. Discarding the spear gun, I swam to the moon pool opening and crawled through the top. Time to deal with this.

I got to my feet on the hard metal floor, and was rewarded by confused looks and gaping mouths. I was standing there, fully exposed, my ears and gills flaring. My Father was holding tightly to Lily, but she broke free and ran to me. She wrapped her arms around my leg and began weeping softly. My Father didn't look as if he'd do the same.

"But…what is this?" he whispered. His eyes had grown wide, and his face had gone as white as the outlaw's eyes.

"Well…you remember when I was sick…right?" I started. "I was really…changing into this." I gestured to my gills and webbed digits. No way would he believe me. My mother looked as if she would vomit, while my sister was still crying into my legs.

"No…no, this isn't…who are you? What have you done with my daughter?" He screamed, reaching for another spear gun.

"Dad…Dad, no, it's me! Really!" I said. I was on the verge of tears now, knowing my Father would never see me the same way again.

"No…You're not my daughter...even if we share the same blood, you're not my daughter. Not anymore." He hissed, his eyes glossing over. My heart felt as if someone had filled it with acid, leaving it to beat painfully, spreading it throughout my body.

"Dad…" I whispered. My mother ran up to me. I thought she was going to hug me, but she ripped Lily from my legs, screaming and kicked as my Dad took the shot. The spear gun ripped through the flesh in my arm, knocking me backwards into the moon pool. I floated downwards, my blood seeping into the ocean. I slammed against the ocean floor, stirring the dust and agitating the weeds. My eyes filled with tears that were swept away with the current. I wanted to die, right here in this patch of seaweed. I thought it would happen, right until my neighbour found me on his manta board.

He saw that I was without oxygen and offered me a pack of liquigen. I waved it away, pointing to my gills. He stared in confusion for a moment before hoisting me up onto his manta board, and driving away.


	5. Chapter 5: Gone

My mind swam for what seemed like an eternity, until I was cruelly whipped away from my dreams towards reality. I opened my eyes, and stared up at my ceiling. A sigh of relief escaped my lips as I had connected last night to just a horrible dream. I tried to sit up, but hands pushed me down.

"Please, don't get up yet." A female voice spoke to me. My Mother?

I turned my head, to see Ty's mom worriedly tending to my arm. My chest clamped in disappointment as the memories of last night flooded my mind, blurring my vision with tears. I relaxed into the bed, and started looking around. I was obviously in Ty's room, where the shelves were lined with treasures and every corner was packed with ancient artifacts. He was quite a collector.

I remembered when I was a kid; we'd dress up and run around his house, screaming like banshees. We were the best of friends. I hadn't seen him in a while; it felt as if he'd left. It seems he was looking out for me all along.

I groggily lifted my head, and looked at the patch on my arm. Blood stained the new bandages, which painfully squeezed my arm, numbing my fingers.

"What happened?" I mumbled. She looked confused, as if she didn't expect me to speak, but collected herself and explained.

"Well, as far as I know, yesterday Ty carried you in, all bloodied up. He told me you had been shot with a harpoon, so I quickly set to work. I was quite worried to see you without a dive skin, or liquigen, but then I saw your…your…" she fumbled for the right words.

"Gills? Yeah, and I don't need a dive skin anymore either." I said. "I've changed." There was no use hiding it. No one would ever understand.

"Well…that's quite a change indeed…" she said, staring at my neck. "Tell me, how did it happen?"

"I got sick, and just…evolved, I guess. It happened in the course of, say, an hour. But the sickness I had lasted at least a week." I explained.

She looked as if she would say something, but the door opened and Ty walked in. He looked especially worn out, as if he hadn't been eating.

"Hey…you alright?" he asked, kneeling beside my bed.

"Yeah…thanks to your mom." I said. He smiled, and I felt it would be the last one ever directed at me.

"So…what happened? I found you last night with a harpoon in your arm. Only a human can fire a harpoon, so who was it? There was a dead outlaw, too. Was it him?" he asked worriedly.

I shook my head, my strength diminishing. I felt tired, just from talking. "My Father did."

His face turned even whiter, if that's possible. "Your dad? But…why?" he asked.

I pointed to my gills, and he seemed to catch the point. "Because I'm this. He pretty much called me a monster, then impaled me." I said. My voice trembled, as my eyes painfully stung. I loved my Dad, although it was hard to find a Dad in him now.

Ty's mother instantly started patting my head and whispering compliments and comforts, trying to ease my pain.

"That's horrible…" Ty whispered. "You can stay here, you know. We'll look out for you." He sympathized.

It felt nice to have someone offer to share their only space with me. As nice as it felt, I wouldn't do it. "That's awfully kind of you…but, I think it'd be best if I left. Benthic Territory, I mean. If I stayed with you, someone would be sure to find out, and then you'd all be in laboratories and stuff." I felt sad as their faces dropped, the light escaping from their eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Well…that's okay. But, at least stay for a little. That arm of your will take at least a week to heal, so you'd best stay until then." Ty's Mom said. Solemnly nodding my head, she smiled and left. Ty soon followed. It seemed nice people really did exist. I lay in bed for the next few hours or so, Ty and Zoe each coming in to entertain me. Ty let me see a few of his crowns and necklaces, as Zoe showed me some of her super-rare fish. Zoe and Lily were best friends, because they were so alike. They would go out fishing together all the time. I wonder if they still would, after Zoe knew what kind of family I had.

Night had fallen, as the outside lamps slowly dimmed and faded, letting the Homestead fall into darkness. If I was to do something, now would be the time. I un-bandaged my shoulder, and gasped in surprise. The wound was nothing but a red line, where a thin layer of slime covered the wound. It seemed I healed faster, too. I snuck out of bed, and tip toed down the stairs. I heard the sound of silent breathing coming from Zoe's room and his mother's. They were all asleep.

I crept across the kitchen that strikingly looked like mine. Ty's Dad had designed all of the homestead outlines, so he most likely made all the ones in the area look the same. I was just about to jump in the moon pool, when a voice pierced the darkness.

"You're leaving?" it said. I recognized it as Ty's. He slowly crept towards me, looking sleepy and worried.

"I have to. I can't burden you anymore with my…condition." I whispered, turning to him.

"Well…you'll come back…right? To visit, I mean." He whispered.

"Of course, I have a sister here, too. I'll stop by whenever I visit her." I said. He walked closer to me, looking dejected and sad.

"I'll miss you. I do hope your parents reconsider, too." He said. He was but a foot in front of me now.

"I'll miss you, too. We were quite the pair back then, huh?" I said. I got a giggle out of him. I didn't want to go on a sour note.

"Yeah…but…the ocean is full of dangerous things…I might not see you again…" he whispered, looking grave. "Like outlaws and sharks."

I smiled, making him blush. "Don't worry. Sharks aren't a problem, and I'm an expert at hiding. I always beat you at hide and seek, remember?"

"Yeah…but…" he looked as if he wanted to say something, but it was too hard to say it. He looked into my eyes, and his face turned as red as a tomato.

He jumped forward, and brushed his lips against mine. I was so startled; I almost fell into the moon pool. He steadied me with his hands, and pressed against me. I returned his kiss with an equally light one. He sighed with happiness, probably worried that I didn't feel the same way.

We broke away, both of us brightly shining with our bioluminescence. He smiled as I did, wrapping me in a hug. "Goodbye…" he said.

"It's only goodbye if you don't see me again. So for now, it's 'see you later'." I said. He chuckled, and let me go. I shot him one last smile, before I plunged into the inviting depths of the ocean. My face felt hot, as if it had been burned by the hot sun on the topside. It had been my first kiss, and I hoped it wasn't my last with Ty.

Silently gliding along the bottom like a manta ray, I swam under my house and to my secret porthole. I tried to open it, but it had been chained shut. So it seems they did know about it. I decided to risk going through the front entrance. There wasn't anything worse they could do to me. I climbed in, and shook the last drops of water from my feet.

I slowly padded up the stairs to my room, where I changed my clothes and grabbed a barbed spear that Ty had given me. I strapped it across my back. I also grabbed a small mesh bag, and slipped it through my belt. Now all that was left was to leave. I had done a lot of leaving lately. It didn't feel right.

Just before I plunged into the moon pool, I was stopped again. It was Lily this time.

"Meffy, it's you!" she squealed, running into me. "I knew you'd come back!"

"Yeah, but I've gotta go again." I whispered.

"What? But…you've just gotten back…"she said, close to tears. "Why won't you stay?"

"Didn't you see what dad did? I'm not allowed here anymore." I said, pulling her into my arms. She wrapped her pudgy little ones around my neck, burying her face into my chest. "I have to go. I'll come visit you, though. I promise. Plus, I'll bring you any little treasures I find."

She sniffed, tears dripping from her chin. "Really?" she whispered.

"Yeah, but only at night. I'll come to your window, so you'll know, okay?" I said.

She agreed, and hugged me, although she still sounded sad. After saying goodbye for the last time that night, I escaped into the great ocean, leaving my home forever.


	6. Chapter 6: Home

A few days ago, the ocean seemed like the most welcome, friendly place you could be. Full of pretty things, smiling faces, everything nice. Now it felt like a cold hand had passed over everything, making the rocks look sharper and the fish less pretty. The ocean now felt like a lonely place, a place where wherever you went you weren't welcome and never would be. A place that would never be a home.

I swam a small ways away until I was hovering over Coldsleep Canyon. It was only about a mile from my homestead, so I could always be near. Maybe I could live here, in a small crevice or something. I turned my eyes so that the night vision aspect of them was amplified, so I could see the Canyon. I was full of wreckages, and monsters, Devil Squids and Lightning Eels. Knowing that I was going to become the predator of the ocean, I dove downwards. Unsheathing my spear, I prepared for anything to come my way.

While I was doing this, I scanned the walls of the Canyon. All the rocks seemed to have small ridges under them, but none could support me. After searching for a while, I found a hole under a ridge. Thinking of a nice, insulated cave, I swam towards it.

I probed the side of the wall with my hands, checking to make sure the rocks were sturdy. Deciding the hole wouldn't cave in on me, I peered inside. It was a small tunnel, just big enough for me to fit inside. I knew I needed a home, so I slithered inside. The tunnel went on like that for a bit, until it angled upward. Eventually the water left the tunnel and I was crawling along a slanted hill of rocks. I skinned my knees a few times, but I could see a glow coming from ahead.

Emerging from the end of the tunnel, I entered a wide opening. No one was inside, especially no fish. It was an empty cave, nice and dry. The glow I had seen had come from crystals lining the wall. They came in all sorts of different colors; blue, red, even purple. They radiated a soft glow that seemed to warm the heart. I touched one lightly, surprised to find the glow intensify. They must be bioluminescent. Finding one that jutted out more than the others, I snapped it off. The glow remained, still illuminating my face.

I put it in my bag, for Lily later. She'd love it. Seeing that the ground was covered in a light blanket of moss, I realized this would be a perfect place for me. It was beautiful for one thing, but the moss was slightly damp, so my gills wouldn't dry out. She knelt down and touched it. It seemed to cling to me, wanting me closer to it, to spread its softness throughout the whole ocean. To make it less lonely for me.

I lay down on the moss, feeling it cling to my arms. I giggled as it tickled my back, sending shivers up my spine. This would be an excellent place to stay. Sitting up, I squished my fingers down into the green algae. Water rose above my fingers, only to be immediately soaked up again. It would be a good place to dry clothes too. Plus, fish couldn't get in, and it would take someone else years to find this place.

Unsheathing my spear, I lay it down on the moss as well as my mesh bag and all my other items. I went to the near wall on the other side and started snapping off crystals. One by one, they came off easily in my hands. Making enough of a flat wall to lean against, I did so. I put the crystals I had removed around my legs in a decorative fashion. I could find an abandoned cruiser somewhere, and use it to bring books in here.

Deciding it was time to set out again, I collected my items and exited. I kept one crystal with me, and tied it around the hilt of my spear. It gave off a red glow to the walls surrounding me as I shimmied through the tunnel. Swimming out to Coldsleep Canyon once again, I rose to the surface. I couldn't wait to probe the ocean floor for treasures and all sorts of things. More importantly, someone like me out there. If it was possible.


	7. Chapter 7: Explore

I had only just become what I am, so I decided ColdSleep Canyon was a bit of a stretch. I could have gone to Seablite, because it was an area vastly known for its black pearls, but that was even more dangerous a place than ColdSleep. There weren't many places to explore, so perhaps I would just mull around until something interesting came up? Swimming along the tropical seabed of West Benthic Territory, I realized that many people took the ocean for granted. I loved how the anemones swayed in the oceanic current, how the fish always camouflaged with every rock. It was quite beautiful.

Grabbing onto the tail of a passing manta ray, I enjoyed the ride. It was much more fun than a manta board, although you couldn't control a real one. We passed reefs of every color, schools of fish that rivalled rainbows, even rocks that had immense color. Then, the manta ray crossed over a drop off. I looked down into the vast crater, eroded over the years by water and vehicles. Inside, something metal glinted. The shine caught my eye and held it, depicting something particularly shiny. Something valuable.

Letting go of the manta ray, I floated down to the bottom and saw that the shiny thing I had found was a derelict sub. It was rare to come across one abandoned for some long, as they were picked up quickly by seagaurds and such. Moss and barnacles had grown along the side, blurring out the shiny hull underneath. Although I would have loved to study the barnacles clinging to the metal, to see where the sub had been its entire journey, I noticed the water around me was laced with something. Something metallic, yet organic. Blood.

Startled by the sense of something wrong with this find, I skirted the ship to the port. I saw the inside of the window was smeared with blood itself, blending in with the rusty color of the outer hull.

Pressing the button on the side that would drain the hatch, I waited patiently as the door opened and the port filled with water. Stepping inside, I entered the inside bay. It was as if a war had happened in the ship, one where no one had survived. Crimson blood spattered the walls and control panel, pooling along the ground and dripping from the ceiling. No one could lose this much blood and survive, unless it was a lot of 'someone's.

I was walking through the bloody puddles of the massacred ship, until I stubbed my toe on something large and bulky. Groaning in annoyance, I bent over to pick the object up. It was a spear gun, one that seemed to belong to someone. A name was etched into the side, one that stood out like a white fish in a cloud of black ones. _Ty._

My breath caught in my throat, as I frantically looked around. He wasn't in the room I was in, but he could still be in the sub. Still clutching the spear gun, I walked around the sub, checking every corner and room. Still no one. Worried he might have been dragged off by someone, I wondered if everyone I cared about would be taken from me. Deciding I'd find out for myself, I exited the sub and swam at full speed along the coast.

Coming up onto the homestead that was next to mine, I swam around to the window that led to Ty's room. I was relieved when I saw him sitting on his bed, shining one of his crowns. I tapped on the window, and enjoyed his look of surprise. He looked almost startled, considering the lamps outside had dimmed, to simulate nightfall.

Holding the spear gun up to the window, he recognised it and waved me over to the lower section of the house, where the moon pool was. Surfacing moments later, I watched as he hopped down the stairs and into the moon pool room. I was sitting on the edge of the opening, my legs dangling in the water. He sat beside me, smiling from ear to ear.

"I told you I'd visit." I said, handing him the spear gun.

"I never said you wouldn't. Besides, where'd you find this?" he asked, examining it.

"On an abandoned sub. Why was it even there in the first place?" I asked, worriedly.

"I was puttering around about a day ago and came across a sub. I went inside, and saw the mess it was in. What was stranger was that there was a topsider inside." He explained.

"A topsider? What's a topsider doing in such a horrible sub?" I asked. "Also, where did all that blood come from?"

"I don't know. But whatever it is, it must have been hurt pretty badly. I doubt it survived." He whispered, looking remorseful. "Anyways, thanks for returning it. It's the only one I have."

"No problem. I found a cool little cave. One only I can get to." I said.

"Really? What's it like?" he asked, excited. I reached into my bag, and withdrew a glowing blue crystal. His eyes grew wide as the light bathed his face and the room, making everything look underwater.

"The walls are lined with these things." I said. "They come in all different colors."

"Whoa…that's really cool…" he whispered, touching the edge of the crystal. It flared up at his touch and died down when he pulled away. I placed the crystal in his hand.

"Here, so you know I'm always surrounded by beautiful things." I said. I thought it was a little cheesy, but he smiled, and wrapped his fingers around mine. I doubt my cheeks still had the ability to blush, but my face grew hot as he slid a little closer to me.

"I get worried sometimes, you know. I'm always worried you'll get hurt by something." He whispered, squeezing my hand tighter.

"You don't have to worry. Big fish don't really pay me any mind, and I always have this spear with me. It's the one you gave me, too." I said, smiling. He smiled too, but it quickly disappeared.

"I miss you. I'm always wondering where you are, and when you'll visit." He whispered, staring at the blue crystal.

"I miss you, too. I know I can't visit very often, but I wouldn't want to trouble anyone." I said.

"Don't say that! You don't trouble people. If anything, people are always troubling you!" he whispered loudly, staring into my eyes. I smiled, although it might have looked a little sadder than I intended. I always wondered why people cared for me so much, when I was one speck in a million. It seemed silly to me, to care for someone who could be gone tomorrow or anytime sooner. Humans are such fickle beings; they can disappear at any time.

"Hey, don't make that face." He whined, holding both my hands.

"What face?" I asked, looking surprised.

"That face you get when you think too hard about something. If you always think too hard, you'll never stop to think about the smaller things." He said. "So don't."

I giggled slightly at his earnestness in such a small thing, like how m face looks when I think. "Oh, Ty…" I whispered. I leaned forward and caught his lower lip in mine, leaning against him. He seemed surprised for a moment, and then wrapped his arms around me, deepening the kiss. His shine brightened as his cheeks flared, but he still held me. It felt like it was right, like we were meant to be here, secretly kissing by the moon pool.

I pulled away, knowing the more I kissed him, the more I'd want to do it again. He seemed confused, but I smiled and wrapped him in an embrace. "I have to go. If it gets too dark, I won't be able to get home." I whispered.

His smile was sad, but he said goodbye and I dove into the moon pool. Speeding away, I considered if it was the last time I'd see him. I tried not to think about it, but it kept coming up. Although it made me sad, sometimes things happen, whether you like it or not.


	8. Chapter 8: Specter

Everything started sinking in. I came to the conclusion that my life had ended, no matter how I tried to fix it. My little cave became less dazzling, and lonelier. The fish that looked so beautiful seemed malicious and dark, as if they longed to remove me from their fishy world. I felt as if I didn't belong. Maybe, if someone else was like me, things would get better. But that was impossible; no one could have a Dark Gift exactly like mine. Even if they did, how would I find them? The ocean is larger than anything in the world; in fact, the ocean pretty much _is_ the whole world. Most of it, anyways.

I had grown better at certain skills during my time in the ocean. I had learned to hunt better, and how to use biosonar. Ty said he could do that once, but then he said he couldn't do it anymore. It made me feel less like a mutant, because most of the kids down in the ocean had gifts. My biosonar came in handy, because I could mimic the sounds of one fish to attract another. It certainly helped my hunting.

I had also evolved more. Now my arms had fin-like appendages jutting from them, so it was easier to swim. The same had happened to my legs. My skin had turned a pale blue, one that looked like the outside of a pioneer house. It let me camouflage better with the blue of the ocean water, which also helped me. I wondered if I would evolve into an unrecognizable being, or even just wake up one day a fish. Sometimes, I considered killing myself, to keep me from losing my consciousness. If I developed a malicious intent, I could want nothing but to kill things. But then, my sister and Ty would be heart broken. So I stayed away from that option.

I hadn't visited Ty since the day I found the cave, so I wondered how he was doing. I could visit Ty anytime I liked, but Lily was another ordeal. I could only visit her when father wasn't home, and it was night time. It was a little harder to visit her, but I still wanted to. Today, though, I had a close call with the Seablite gang.

I saw what looked like a giant shark, swimming overhead, but then I saw the rivets in its belly. They looked like giant nails, so I knew it wasn't a fish. Then, I saw that it was the _Specter_. Fear ran through me like an icy hand, reaching into my belly and freezing my insides. Could they be mad I killed one of their outlaws? Where they looking for me?

I was frozen in place, trying to move but unable. The sub turned, so that the front was facing me. Someone was driving it, and I knew immediately it was Shade. His skin was tan, with swirling black tattoos covering his skin. He looked straight into my eyes, as a smile crept onto his face. I was so afraid, I couldn't think straight. Suddenly aware that he planned to ram into me, I lowered my internal pressure, sinking rapidly into the deep.

I saw his smile disappear as frustration came to take its place. Out of the corner of my vision, I saw several people dropping through the bottom of the sub. They were all clad in dive skins, as well as helmets and harpoons. They were signing to each other, but it was so fast and erratic I only caught a little. _Child. Dark Gift. Eel. Kill._ I knew they were talking about how I killed the outlaw, so I quickly turned and swam as fast as I could. I heard the clacking sound of a harpoon gun being loaded, and the sound of a trigger clicking to the metal of a gun.

A harpoon whizzed past my head, almost tearing the skin on my flaring ear. Reaching to my back for my spear, I unsheathed it and stopped swimming. Turning around, I saw the outlaw had another harpoon loaded, pointing right between my eyes. The ocean seemed colder now, like a drink with ice cubes floating in it. He fired the second harpoon, and I quickly dodged it, knowing if I hadn't, I'd be dead. I saw the outlaw say something, probably because he was out of harpoons.

Taking this as a lucky chance, I quickly fled the battlefield, careening through the water, leaving currents swishing behind me. I let out a giggle, so happy that I had just escaped death. Twice.

Checking behind me, I saw the _Specter_ was gone and that I had outswam them. Letting out a gasp of water, I shakily made my way to Coldsleep canyon. Climbing through my little cave hole, I curled up on top of my mossy bed, and tried to fall asleep. I slept with my face pointing towards the opening, knowing someone could have followed me. I slept about 1 hour that night. I had to be more careful when I explored.


	9. Chapter 9: Contagious

I was much more skittish the next day. I was always checking over my shoulder for possible threats, such as sharks, or squids, or maybe a giant sub full of blood thirsty outlaws. Just checking. I hadn't visited m sister in a while, so I decided to do so. Collecting some colourful crystals from my little cave, I swam towards my homestead. Today was Thursday, which meant my dad was at the trade station for the whole day. It also meant my mother was out trading with the nearby Nomad Surf Colony. Lily was 10 years old, and was the best in the family at using harpoon guns. They left her alone during these times.

Knowing nobody would be home, I casually rose through the moon pool. It wasn't like I was breaking and entering, it was still _my_ house. Checking the sound waves in the air, I listened for any sounds. All I heard were the generators humming calmly, as well as my sister watching something on the holo-vision set. It was just like a normal TV, but the screen was transparent, so it was like the image was floating in the air. My feet slapped loudly on the hard floor, alerting Lily to my presence.

"Meffy, you came!" she shrieked, running towards me. She wrapped her arms around me, giggling excitedly as I hugged her too. "Did you bring me any treasure?"

"As a matter of fact, I did." I said. I loved it when her face lit up at the thought of a new item to add to her collection. It was like watching the sun rise from behind a throng of trees. Reaching into my bag, I withdrew the glowing crystals and presented them to her. She seemed in awe for a moment before bursting with excitement.

"Wow, they're so pretty!" she squealed. "Where did you get them?"

"At my house." I said.

"House? You have a house?" she said, looking up at me with her big, blue eyes.

"Yep. And it's _filled_ with crystals, just like this one." I said, tapping the green one in her hands. She smiled, and I was suddenly filled with happiness. I had once thought I would never see that smile again, but I'd seen it more frequently than ever. I could make this work.

"I wanna see it! Please, Meffy, let me see it? Please?" she begged, coiling her thin, rope like arms around my legs and squeezing the circulation out of them.

"Ack! Fine, fine. Mom and Dad will be home around this evening, so we have lots of time." I said. She detached herself as she ran away, squealing. She began to violently put on a dive skin with one hand, while fishing out her helmet with another. Once she was finished, I instructed her to inhale a breath of liquigen and to get her manta board. She excitedly did as she was told, until we were idling just outside the homestead.

She looked up at me, her eyes reassuring. I was always worried that there would be an emergency, and one of my parents would come home earlier than they were supposed to. It would be a quick trip, so I decided to wave away my concerns. With her riding underneath me, we sped across the ocean on the manta board. She kicked her legs excitedly as I barely had to move mine.

We were coming upon ColdSleep canyon, so I slowed the manta board's movement. Lily seemed a little timid at first at diving into the deep recesses of one of the deepest canyons in the world, but I gave her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, which seemed to subside her fears. Dipping the nose of the manta board towards the bottom of the great pit, I sped along, hoping that no outlaws had spotted us. Idling right in front of the hole I used to get into my cave, I hitched the manta board to a rock jutting out of the cliff.

Lily gazed into the narrow tunnel and seemed to radiate excitement in exploring the unknown area. Not what you'd expect from a ten-year-old. Letting her go in front of me, we both squeezed through the tunnel until we came upon the opening cave. She quickly stepped out of the passage, almost catching her knee on the rock surface. She gazed around, caught by the majesty of it all, just as I had when I first came upon the place. She walked across the spongy moss surface to one of the walls, and ran her hand down the crystalline surface. The crystals glowed where she touched them, responding to the heat of her fingers. She smiled as the light was reflected in her eyes.

Evaporating the liquigen in her lungs, she spent the next 10 minutes expressing to me how much she'd love to have a room like this, and how much she envied me.

"This place is so cool! It's like your own little treasure cave! You could be like a pirate or something! These crystals could replace the need for flash lights!" she squealed, jumping along the moss surface as if it were a bouncy bed.

"Hehe…well, I'd give all these crystals to live back at home with you and Mom." I said, a little sadly. Her smile dropped, but she still seemed to enjoy the scenery. She sat on the sponge, and watched as water rose from the algae, making a small puddle underneath her.

"Doesn't it bother you, always being wet?" she asked, swishing her hand through the puddle.

"Does it bother a fish to always be wet?" I said, giggling. "No, I actually like the feeling. It's like always being in the ocean, or always swimming. You'll always love it."

She grinned, and picked at the green, leafy moss as she contemplated what I had said. "Hey, Meffy…" she said.

"Yes?" I asked. I was taken off guard by the tone of her voice, but I always loved to help my sister with a question.

"Will I ever be like you?" she asked. She was still picking at the leaves, staring intently at them, like they would disappear if she looked away.

"I don't know." I said. It was the best answer I could give her, but I hated the fact that she wanted to be like I was. I felt like a mutant everywhere I went, always different. I understood it'd be cool for a child, but for someone who had serious friends, and to not be able to see them again, it wasn't all that fun.

"Hmm…well, the skin in between my fingers is peeling." She mumbled. She said it as if she were telling me of a book she had read, as if it was no big deal. I then realized instead of picking at the moss, she had been picking at her fingers the whole time. Startled, I hopped over to her and grabbed her hand.

Parting her fat, swollen fingers, there was indeed small pieces of skin hanging from her hands. It didn't look as if it had been ripped off by an object, or even picked off. It just looked like it had started peeling. Just as mine had looked like.

"See? I might be like you soon, Meffy." She said, smiling at me. "Then everything will be fine. You won't be lonely anymore."

"No, Lily, this isn't good. It's dangerous out in the ocean, and I don't even like it sometimes. I…I don't know what this means…" I said. My breath rattled uneasily in my chest, panic fluttering in my heart like a startled bird. "Just…don't tell mom about this. Or dad. They could take you to a doctor. And that would mean a gazillion needles."

She looked at me in horror at the thought of so many needles. I knew her distant fear of needles was more intense than any other child her age, so she would be sure to do anything in her power to avoid this. "But…why? You told them about your skin, and they didn't give you needles!" she huffed.

"Lily, I didn't know that this-" I gestured to my gills. "Would be the outcome. I just thought I was sick, and so did they. They didn't think I needed needles, but they'll know what it is if they find out about you. So you have to make it our little secret, okay?" I said. She loved to have 'our little secrets' so again, I knew she'd make another effort to keep it secret.

"Well…okay, Meffy. But, if I do become like you, will I stay with you?" she pleaded, grabbing my hand as if I'd run out at the thought of her being with me.

"Of course. You're my little sister." I said, smiling. "Also, I'd like to look at some other areas for sign of…evolving." She obediently stayed still as I examined her.

First, I looked at her ears. They were red and swollen, as if someone had pinched the skin. My heart beat faster and faster as I felt her neck. My hands came away with a thin sheen of slime. All her symptoms were considerably like mine.

"C'mon, I should get you home…" I whispered, too disgusted with myself to speak. Had I done this to her? Am I infectious? Have I done this to Ty and Mom and Dad, too? I didn't want to even consider this, as I hustled Lily out of my grotto and back to the homestead.


	10. Chapter 10: Sympathy

The rest of the week was basically me fretting over how many people I could have infected with this disease of mine. Then, it led to a second completely relentless train of thought about whether _I _had done this to them, or if everyone was becoming this. I still didn't want to be around anyone in the vicinity. Sickened by the possibility of me creating a nation-wide plague of fish-people, I guiltily floated to Ty's house to vent.

"It doesn't mean _you're_ doing this to them, it could just mean everyone's getting dark gifts." Ty mused, stirring a cup of lemonade. "I mean, _really. _You haven't even been around them for long, since you became this."

I was uncomfortably sitting on one of his leather couches, the material sticking to my damp legs. "I know, but I could be turning my sister into a God forsaken _mutant_! Doesn't that seem a little coincidental, considering I've been visiting her almost every day for the past week?" I complained, leaning back on the couch.

"Well, maybe it's not such a bad thing." He mused, sipping his citrusy beverage. "We wouldn't need liquigen if we all had gills, we'd be able to explore deeper areas, we'd be more durable against predatory fish...the pros are endless."

I sighed, knowing there was no use getting sympathy out of Ty. He would always find the good things in a situation, making going to him for a hug of compassion impossible. He seemed so fine with the idea of having an ocean of fish people, it seemed as if he _wanted_ to be like a fish.

"Well then, Ty, what if you turn into a mutant? What happens then?" I asked, half closing my eyes. He sat up in his chair, sitting his cup on the table. He seemed quite serious about the question.

"Hmm...It'd be pretty cool." He mumbled, looking off into the distance. "Hey...what if _everyone _became this...and THEN...we made, like, a whole army of fish people, just swimming around the ocean! Now come on, you have to admit that'd be cool."

"Ty, you're not _getting_ it! This isn't good!" I barked, throwing my hands up into the air. "Gosh, if you won't sympathize with me, then there's no point being here. Besides, I'm only infecting you further." I got up off of the couch, and started walking towards the moon pool. Ty was acting as if my problematic life was a joke, like a TV show he could watch. I wouldn't sit around and be insulted.

"Hey, hey! Wait up!" he called, jumping up from the couch.

"You don't even care, do you?" I yelled over my shoulder. He ran up, and somehow slipped in front of me, keeping me from reaching the moon pool.

"Ack-! I'm sorry, okay?" he yelled, pushing me away from the hole. "I'm just trying to lighten the mood..."

"Well, you're not doing a very good job." I snipped, sticking my nose into the air. "Jokes are the last thing I can handle in a situation like this."

"Fine, fine. Please, just...stay here. I barely get to see you anymore." He whined, leading me back into the living room. I sat down on the sticky couch again, as he sat on his.

"I wonder if there's even a cure." I wondered, thinking to myself. "To this 'fish thing' I mean."

"I don't think so..." he mumbled, taking his now empty cup to the sink. How did he even get lemons down here for his lemonade anyways? "Maybe we'll find one later."

Shaking my head, I felt suddenly exhausted of the topic. My strength felt as diluted as the salt was in the ocean. "I got to go...I don't feel so well." I mumbled, hearing the suctioning sound as my legs detached from the sticky leather of the couch.

"But you just got here..." he said, absently. "Well, okay. Just...come back soon."

"Sure." I said, walking once again to the edge of the moon pool. He followed me in, and grabbed my hand before I could jump in.

"Be safe." He said. He always said it to me before I left from one of my visits. I had become used to hearing it. Smiling at his worried mother-hen mentality, I leaned in and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. He started to glow at my touch, but smiled afterwards. Waving one last time, I plunged into the welcoming blue of the ocean, and swam off.

I thought I'd visit Lily before I left, but she was busy talking to Mom and Dad. There was no way for me to tell her I was there, so I decided to leave m visit for another day, and swam off yet again.

As I'd come to know the ocean in a different way than before, I came to think of it like a street, or a neighbourhood. It felt like I was a plane, gliding over my city of coral and fish, watching them busily going about their business. I knew almost every inch of the ocean floor around my homestead, as I had seen it so many times. I knew all the holes, and all the cracks that dotted the rock, as well as most of the fish that lived there. Angel fish glided through the coral, as clown fish and rock fish skittered along the bottom. Crabs walked sideways in between the towering edifices of the rocks, their claws searching for any little fish to catch.

Looking up from my discovery channel moment, I saw a shape in the distance. It looked like a piece of white seaweed floating before my vision, but I knew there was no white seaweed. Narrowing my eyes, I focused on the glittering object before me. Turns out, it wasn't seaweed.

It was a person. A boy, his hair black and waving in the current, dressed in a tattered T-Shirt and shorts. What surprised me most was that he wasn't wearing a helmet, or a dive skin. Had he drowned? Swimming closer, I saw he was fiddling with a net, and that flaring gills ruffled at his neck. His chest moved up and down as he breathed in the seawater, unfazed by the lack of oxygen. He was a person swimming in water, unprotected from the elements. Someone who could breathe the water in like a fish could.

Someone like me.


	11. Chapter 11: Another

It felt as if I couldn't breathe. Was I seeing things? Was it my imagination? Without thinking, I sped forward, slicing the water into twin wakes. I would see who this was. Reaching the fishing net he was fiddling with, I entered his line of vision.

He seemed just as surprised as I was to see someone of his own species. Dropping the net he had been so busy with earlier, he slowly waded over to me, his eyes as curious as a cat fish's.

"Uh...hello..." I said, weakly. Could he even here me across the water? Just in case, I waved my hand, the universal sign of 'hello'.

"Hey..." he answered, clearly able to hear me. His voice was bubbly and warped in my ears, just as I guess mine was in his.

"You...how did you get like that?" I asked, hoping he'd have the same answer as me.

"W-Well..." he mumbled, looking shy. "I got really sick one day...I had a fever, and my skin was peeling, and...I was in a lot of pain. My parents, they...they drowned my in the moon pool..." It seemed painful for him to talk about it. "To put me out of my misery."

"That's awful..." I whispered. I would be traumatized for life if my parents held me down, drowning me.

"Well, how did you get it? This...mutation?" he asked, trying to sound happy.

"It was just as you had it. I became deathly ill, feverish even. My skin was raw as if someone had rubbed sand paper on it, and it felt as if my insides were burning. I went for a walk outside of my homestead, and knowing I'd only be gone a few minutes, didn't use liquigen. Some sharks shattered my helmet, and I drowned." I explained. I had no shame in the way I 'drowned'. Just like the Serfs, the pioneers boasted about fighting sea monsters, like sharks and devil squids.

"Really? You drowned too?" he exclaimed, shooting forward so he was right in front of me.

"Yes...I grew gills, and fins, and basically...turned into a fish." I answered. He seemed quite curious, even more than I was. "My parents kicked me out when they found out, though..."

"Oh...I'm sorry. My parents just let me sink when I drowned. They don't even know I'm still alive." He said.

"Hm. I live in ColdSleep Canyon now, in a crystal cave. Do you...wanna see it?" I asked, sheepishly.

"Ah-! Sure!" he yelled, excitedly. Smiling, I led him down through the treacherous reaches of the canyon, and into the small tunnel that led to my home. He seemed shy at first, but seemed to come out of his shell when he saw the jewels lining the walls. He picked at the shining crystals, and seemed amazed at all the colors.

"You live here?" he whispered, still gazing belatedly at the walls.

"Yup. I have for about a week now." I answered, sitting against the wall I had cleared.

"I wish I lived in such an amazing place...I just live in an abandoned homestead. It's all flooded, and there's no heat or light." He murmured.

"No light? Isn't it scary?" I asked, somehow snapping him out of his wonder.

"Well...not really...I can see really well in the dark. Can't you?" he asked, pulling his attention away from the crystals.

"Yeah, but even still. Being in complete darkness...isn't it lonely?" I asked.

"Well...sometimes...but, I have lots of pets." He said with a chuckle.

"Hehe! You're just like my sister. Her room is full of fish tanks." I said. "She'll come home with things scarier than devil squids."

"Whoa!" he laughed. "I was an only child."

"Well, sometimes it's a blessing, and sometimes it's a curse." I said.

"Well, I would have loved to have a sibling. Even an older one. Just someone to go fishing with." He said a little sadly. "Ah-! Where are my manners! I haven't gotten your name!"

"It's Mefreet." I answered, enjoying his worrying.

"That's a nice name...mine is Hatori." He answered. "Not as nice, I know."

"It's a fine name." I said, standing up. "Now that I've showed you where I live, now you have to show me where you live!" He abruptly turned around, seemingly startled at my outburst.

"Ah...you don't want to see where I live..." he answered, trying to persuade me.

"Hey, I showed you my place! That's not fair!" I yelled, pointing my finger at him.

"Ack-! Fine, fine, I'll show you. It's not a nice place, you know." He whined, shimmying through the tunnel that connected my cave and the ocean. "You probably won't like it."

"Try me." I said, crawling through it after him.


	12. Chapter 12: Accept

Well, he wasn't wrong about having a dingy place. The sub was several kilometers below ocean level, green moss clinging to the sides and colorful fish swimming on the holes. The windows were completely blocked by algae, fish with plunger-like mouths clinging to the surface. Tapestries of torn and dirty cloth waved in the current over the door, like wind blowing some curtains. Glowing strings of what looked like jellyfish clung to the roof illuminating the sub, at least making it so you could see your way. Leading the way in, Hatori waved away the mucky cloth, holding it open as I climbed into the wreckage. The entire thing was submerged in water, not a spot of air in it. I could see the remnants of a kitchen table, perhaps for planning, as well as a radar screen that still faintly blipped.

"It's not too fancy, but this is where I sleep at night." Hatori murmured, sweeping his hand around, rousing the stray fish from the table. "Not as nice as your cave."

"It's still nice…" I said, brushing my fingers along the moss clinging to the ceiling. "There sure is a lot of greenery." Paddling through the rest of the sub, I found a room where the beds were stacked as high as the ceiling. Just by looking around, I could tell this was a military sub. Why else would the residents be packed as tightly as sardines?

"Here, sit down." He said, gesturing to the table. Sliding underneath the surface, I sat on the disheveled cushion, watching as tiny fish escaped before they were flattened.

"I wonder if there're more people like us…" I wondered aloud, picking at the snails attached to the table.

"Probably. If it happened twice, it's bound to happen again." He sighed, waving away some falling dust particles.

"Well, what if there are? What if eventually everyone in the ocean becomes like us?" I wondered, forgetfulness prickling my mind. "Oh, yes, that's right. My sister is showing the same symptoms as the both of us have had."

"Really? Well, then, shouldn't we check on her?" he asked. He sounded quite eager to get me out of his shabby, mossy sub. "She could be turning right now."

"Hmm…you're probably right." I decided, standing up. I wondered how Ty would react if he knew I had found a boy who was just like me? It didn't matter at the moment; Lily was probably throwing her guts up as we speak.

Leaving the sub, we both careened towards the surface, our oxygen filled gills propelling us forward. As we swam, he seemed quite afraid of the surroundings.

"What's wrong?" I asked, looking back at him.

"It's just…I've never been this far away from my sub before…" he muttered, trying to keep up with me.

"It's alright. I've been here countless times; it's too shallow for any sharks." I said, in as comforting a tone I could manage. He didn't look very comforted.

Coming up to the horizon of the ocean, I saw my great whale-shaped home looming up out of the shadows. Every pioneer home had a different fish theme. Ty's was a jelly fish, his neighbor's was an octopus, and mine was a whale. OF course, mine was the biggest of all of them, which probably meant why we hosted all the parties.

Staying low to the kelp-ridden sea floor, we slowly swam up to the side of the house towards Lily's window. What I saw almost stopped my heart, as if an electric eel had coiled itself around my chest.

It was an exact replica of me. Lily was curled up in bed; her blankets wrapped around her and sweat beading her forehead. Her face was as red as a red snapper, and I could almost feel the heat radiating off of her from outside. She writhed a little in bed, making the sheets so tightly wrapped around her fall aside, revealing her read, flaking neck. It looked as if her neck was made of bread, pieces of skin flaking off, leaving it red and bare.

I could hear Hatori gasp beside me, but I could barely hear anything else. My little sister, Lily, was in so much pain and I had possibly caused this for her. But Hatori had gotten this all on his own, and I had been nowhere near him. How was this happening? Sneaking around to the small hatch that led to my room, I was surprised when I saw that it had been unchained. Gingerly lifting the top, I crawled out of the hole, Hatori following close by.

When I entered my room, I was almost afraid I had come to the wrong house. What I climbed into wasn't my room, but a study, complete with a desk, chairs, and stacks of books and paper. It hurt a little to know my parents had renovated my room, but that could be left for later. Quietly crawling through the door, I heard voices coming from Mom and Dad's room. It seemed they were having a conference.

"You know, I bet it's because of Mefreet. Maybe she got a disease from the Topside." Dad mumbled hoarsely, trying to keep Lily from hearing.

"Dear, we both know that you spend much more time Topside than she does, but…I don't know what to do anymore…first Mefreet, and now Lily…I don't even know how to explain this." Mom sounded near tears as she whispered to my Father. Sighing in distaste, I quietly made my way into Lily's room, seeing she was sleeping in what seemed like a sleep plagued by nightmares.

Rousing her, her eyes slowly fluttered open, widening when they locked with mine.

"M…Meffy…" she whispered weakly, trying to lift her hand to my face. Her hand was horribly red, scabs dotting the areas in between her fingers.

"Shhh, you have to be quiet, okay, Lily? Mom and Dad can't know I'm here." I whispered, seeing her smile in the thought of another secret. Her smile quickly vanished as she realized what was happening.

"Meffy…am I dying? Is that why…you're here?" she croaked, her voice sounding raspy and painful in her throat.

"No, Lily, listen to me, you're not going to die. It's okay; it's just…just…" I searched for the words, but it was no use. I had to come to terms with myself. "It's just…you're going to be like me."

She smiled again, her eyes filling with happiness. She tried to say something else, but was stricken by a horrible bout of coughing, her chest rattling as her breath painfully escaped through her mouth. Looking to Hatori, he nodded in assurance, knowing what had to happen.

Picking up my little sister, I carried her into my room, careful not to disturb my parents. Opening the hatch, I was getting ready to plunge inside, but she stopped me. "Wait, Meffy…I wanna…get something…" she whispered, slapping her hand against my chest.

"Lily, we don't have any time." I hissed, fiddling with the hatch. In all my haste, I accidentally let it drop closed, sending an extremely loud metal clanging sound through the entire house. The worst of it was that the hatch had an auto-lock mechanism on it, and required a precise train of events to open it, including turning knobs, pushing buttons with two hands, which I did not have, and physically lifting it. I had milliseconds. This would take at least a minute.

Rocketing out of the room as fast as my two bare feet could take me, I swear I could feel my Dad's beard brush against me as I swished past him, careening down the stairs towards the main moon pool. I heard shouts as they recognized who I was, and what I wanted to do, followed by the sound of heavier feet smashing down the stairs, coming right towards me. Panicking, I didn't even stop to think. Hatori close on my heels, I whipped open the door to the loading bay, quickly closing the door behind me. I hit the lock button, as a green light switched red and I was sealed behind the great metal door from my parents.

My Dad would have to go all the way up the stairs to his room to get the key for the door; he always kept it in a special drawer where he kept all his keys. Now I had at least 60 seconds. I sat on the edge of the moon pool, my breath wheezing out of my body, my gills flapping anxiously, looking for water. Holding Lily in my arms, I whispered to her as close as I could get to her.

"Lily, listen to me. Do you remember what happened? When I was like this, when I went outside, do you remember what you saw?" I whispered to her as quickly as she could understand it. She nodded weakly, her eyes closing as if she wanted to go to sleep. "Good, good, because…we're gonna have to do that with you, okay?" she nodded again, although I could hear her heart speed up as fear clamped an icy hand over her mind.

I could hear my name being called roughly from the other side of the bay door, and the sound of a key sliding into a lock. I heard screams, promises that if I didn't do this, I would get anything I wanted. I tried to shut them out, the horrified howls of my parents as I plunged into the moon pool, Lily sinking in my grasp. Looking up, I just saw the bay door opening as I sank into the water.

Looking to Hatori, I saw he was already speeding away. Knowing I should follow, I swam after him, Lily beginning to writhe in my arms. I knew how it felt when I had drowned. It felt as if every bit of breath had been sapped from my body, leaving my insides dark and empty. I felt dead inside.

I heard the sound of an engine whirring, and the sound of a Slicky plunging into the waters behind me. Crap. I hadn't thought they'd take the Slicky. Screaming to Hatori to swim like there was no tomorrow, I peddled my legs like there were rockets attached to them, moving as fast as I could. I could hear the Slicky just behind me now, closing in on us. I felt the glass of the windshield bump against my foot.

Whipping around, Lily pulling at the cloth of my shirt, begging for air, I saw the green, speed-engine Slicky hovering in front of me, a very furious Dad at the wheel. All the color drained out of his face as he saw Lily's lungs filling with air, the life leaving her. He looked almost frightened, my Dad, the toughest man on Earth, was filled with fear. I didn't even know what to make of it.

Clutching Lily even tighter not, he waved towards himself, a gesture that said 'come here' but I was going nowhere near that Slicky. I'm sure my life depended on it. I shook my head no, but such a small gesture seemed to fill him with so much rage, I felt scared for my life. He slammed the throttle to the front of the dashboard, rocketing the Slicky forwards right at us.

I instinctively lifted my legs up, as to protect my body by pushing against the hull of the vehicle, but it didn't matter. The Slicky smashed against my feet, a searing bolt of pain cascading up my leg. I heard my kneecap pop as the Slicky drifted backwards, my Father looking as white as a ghost. He seemed shocked he had actually hit me, as if he just wanted to scare me away. He backed up further, giving me my room, as I clutched my dislocated knees.

Lily had gone limp now, every last breath missing from her body. I could see my Mother hugging my Father, who looked as if he'd shoot through the glass of the Slicky to retrieve his daughter. They all looked as scared as they ever had. I wasn't scared. I knew Lily was fine.

I felt her writhe in my grip, as if someone had used a defibrillator on her, her legs kicking and her mouth opening in a silent scream. Had I been like this? She quieted down a little, as the skin on her neck peeled away revealing new, healthy gills just like mine. Her fingers had become webbed as well, the scabs gone and the redness vanished. She looked completely revitalized.

Her eyes opened slowly, but as soon as she saw what was around her, she rocketed out of my grasp, desperately trying to keep in place. For the first few moments, she seemed confused, almost frightened; but that gave way to amazement, followed by bewilderment. She looked at her hands and feet, probing her necks and ruffling her gills. Although my parents seemed horrified, she was smiling, and so was I.


	13. Chapter 13: Goodbye

It was like watching a movie in slow motion. I had been so happy…a happiness I hadn't felt in so long. There were people like me…people I could relate to. As my sister scuttled through the water, amazed at her new abilities, I just sort of floated. Sometimes, it's just nice to stop and look at what the world has become around you. My mother and father, probably horrified that both of their children had become monsters, just sort of drifted in their sub, watching Lily frolic. Then it hit me. This happiness, as all of my others were, would not last very long.

Racing to life, I tore through the water, placing myself directly in between my parents and my sister. My parents used to love me as if I were a branch from themselves. They would never even dare to harm me in any way, yet my father had almost killed me. It would be hard to shoot someone you've known for 15 years, but they hadn't known Lily as long. She was still so young. It would be easier for them to kill her. They looked confused for a moment, but they seemed to understand.

My father stood up in the idling sub, and rummaged in the back for a bit, retrieving a slightly damp sketch pad. Hatori, Lily and I patiently waited as my dad hastily scribbled something onto the parchment. _Follow us home. _It seemed like an innocent gesture enough, although they could just want to hide the bodies.

Cautiously dragging Lily behind me, as she could not swim very well, the three of us followed the Slicky back to the underwater house, the lights inside dimmed, sensing no one was home. Squeezing through the little space in the moon pool, I was standing face to face with my parents once more. Lily had wanted to run to them, but I had held her back. Protectively holding her behind me, I looked my parents in the eyes; the eyes I had long forgotten to the sea.

"What the hell…is going on?" My father asked, his voice a low rumble. Yes, that's what he said. Not 'Mefreet, how have you been?' or 'We were wrong all along.' His voice was so cold, I could feel it seeping into the air, crystalizing my breath.

"I…I don't know…" I answered, simply because I didn't. "I think…the pioneers are changing somehow."

"What do you mean, _changing_?" My father grunted. "You know, I just bet it's some kind of topsider disease."

"Well then, all the topsiders would be like this." Hatori said, although my parents didn't really care he was there at all.

"Lily…my girl…how could this have happened?" My mother choked, her eyes shining with distant tears. "We tried our best…we even…we…" I knew what she wanted to say. _Abandoned Mefreet_.

"That's enough. All I can say is this whole damned ocean is infected. Or maybe it's just you." My father hissed, looking into my eyes as if he could kill me by looking at me intently enough. "You probably got this somewhere, and now we all have it."

"That's not true! I didn't even know her, and I have it!" Hatori shouted, although I really wished he'd just be quiet.

"Well, honestly, I can't keep Lily here while you're out there. It would be hypocritical of me." My father sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Lily…you'll have to leave."

I really hated this. Really, I did. If this dumb evolution had never happened to me, I wouldn't have had to see Lily's sweet face become crest fallen, as her eyes filled with tears.

"W…what do you mean?" she whispered, clutching the fabric of my shorts in her tiny hands. "You're…you're abandoning me?"

"Lily, that's such…an _awful_ word. You're just going to be with Mefreet for a while." My mother said softly, but there was no getting to the girl. Ever since my father had left for the top side for months at a time, Lily had adopted a very strong sense of need. She always needed someone to love her, and someone to call 'mom' and 'dad'. She always needed someone all grown up to look up to, but now that the harsh reality was befalling her; I thought she just might break. Once she was hurt, you could whisper all the 'I love you's to her you wanted, she would still feel abandoned.

"W-Why? Why are you doing this?" she cried, tears running down her face. "I…I didn't do anything wrong!"

Even if my parents accepted me back, I would always hate them now. Just for this. Seeing my sister so hurt, a little girl who could find poisonous sea reptiles cute, it was like getting punched in the stomach.

"Lily, I know it's scary, but please be reasonable." My father whispered, although I knew he was disgusted by our presence.

"No! I won't! I…I've never done anything bad, and now you're…you're…" she sobbed, unable to finish. Pressing her face into my leg, I patted her head as she cried. It was horrible. I had never seen my sister cry like this, even when she had been stung by a group of electric eels. And I knew, deep down in my heart, it was all my fault. Maybe, if I had just died instead of get saved by Ty, none of this would have happened. Ty wouldn't be infected, which I knew he was, Lily would have been alright, my family could heal again. None of this happened, because I had been cursed with this damned affliction.


	14. Chapter 14: Alone

"W-What are we going to do?" Lily whined, swimming alongside me. She had been quite depressed lately after our visit with Mom and Dad, and I didn't blame her at all. I could hardly take it, and I was a fully-grown teenager. She was just a kid.

"I don't know, but for now, we'll just see what will happen next," I told her. I hated seeing her so heart broken. I wanted to do at least SOMETHING to cheer her up. "Do you want to know where we will be staying?"

With a sniff and a hic, she finally asked where this wondrous place might be.

"Well, do you remember that cave I showed you a while ago? Since Hatori's place is a little messy, we're going to stay there for a while." I smiled, watching her face light up as if she had been presented with something that would genuinely please a child.

"Really?" She whispered, being pulled along in the wake of the current by my hand.

"Of course. We've nowhere else," I said. As we descended through the perilous, deep rip in the ocean floor that was Coldsleep Canyon, Lily's bubbly giggles echoed throughout the rock walls as murderous looking fish with spiky spines swam by. Even a devil squid slinking along the side of the walls got a squeal out of her.

Quickly smuggling her through the hole in the wall, in fear she would attract more predatory attention. As she entered the luminous cave once again, she smiled the same one she did that day long ago, when she was still human.

"I remember this place!" She squealed, running around, watching her reflection in the crystals.

"Of course, it wasn't even that long ago that I brought you here," I said, sitting on the spongy moss, releasing a musky scent that had become familiar to me.

"It's so pretty! I wish Mom and Dad could see it!" The moment the words left her mouth, she once again took on the gloom of which an abandoned child carried. "Mom and Dad…" she whispered, frowning and sitting on the moss.

"It'll be okay! I'm sure Mom and Dad won't be able to go long without their favorite person! Really, they'll be crawling to us any minute!" I exclaimed, determined to do anything to please my little sister. She gave a sigh and a shrug, and lay down on the green blanket, looking up at the crystal ceiling.

Reaching over and patting her head, I lay down next to her, Hatori following suit.

"It's not so bad," I whispered, trying to get a response from her. "Just think of all the fish you'll be able to catch."

She smiled a little, but despite all her efforts, a tear escaped her eye lids, lazily rolling down her cheek.

"Hey, I've lived this way for a long time now. Once you get used to it, the ocean becomes a much more beautiful place." I whispered, grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze.

"But the ocean is already too beautiful to bear…" she whispered, a small sob escaping from her throat. Giving a sigh that my attempts of joy had failed, I pulled her into my arms as she wept into my chest. Hatori stayed oddly quiet for the remainder of the evening, leaving me to whisper sweet nothings to her and stroke her hair.

::::::

It was hard to tell when morning was upon us, because there wasn't any way to see the sun in our cave. Jostling Lily awake, I grabbed my spear and we all headed out. Even if we were considered savage mutants, we had to eat breakfast.

"So, what's on the menu this morning?" Hatori asked, scratching his head as he swam beside me.

"Well, let's see…" I answered, looking around. In the distance, I saw several red, scaled Frisbees floating through the water, doing flips and nipping at each other. "Red Snapper."

Nodding in approval of the sweet-tasting fish, we all advanced forward towards the school of breakfast. I was just about to let my spear fly, when a noise in the distance distracted me. It sounded metallic and echo-y, most likely far away. What surprised me most was the slight hitch in the sound of gears churning. It sounded just like the Slicky.

Abruptly turning my head, I saw that it was, indeed, Mom and Dad in the Slicky. Recollecting my spear, I protectively swam in front of Lily, determined to see what Mom and Dad would do. They looked surprised to see us, but at the same time, slightly expecting, as if they had been looking for us.

"What do your crazy parents want now?" Hatori whispered, as if they could hear us. Shaking my head in the universal sign of 'I don't know', I watched as the Slicky slowly circled us.

"Mom! Dad!" Lily squealed, trying to get out of my arms. Even after getting brutally shoved aside by them, she still wished to be a family again.

"Lily, stay back. They could be dangerous." I warned her, but she still proceeded to kick and warble.

Finally, they did something. Dad moved his hands in a motion that meant he wanted us in the Slicky, but I wouldn't break so easily. They had pretty much destroyed Lily not even a day earlier. They must have been on crack if they thought I'd hand her over so easily.

"Hatori, take Lily." He obediently moved to my side, restraining the feverishly kicking child as I drifted over to the sub. I still had my spear in hand, although I desperately hoped I wouldn't have to use it. Slowly lifting the hatch at the bottom of the idling sub, I poked my head into the cockpit.

"What do you want?" I asked, in my most fearsome tone. They had discarded me so easily, I didn't even hold them in a place of power anymore. They were just people to me. Like fish.

"Mefreet! Why is he holding Lily like that?" Dad yelled, pointing towards Hatori, who was struggling to contain the Tasmanian Devil that was Lily.

"I don't have to answer to you. I don't even know you, anyways," I responded, enjoying the hurt in their eyes.

"Mefreet, how could you say that? We…we're your parents!" Mom said, looking more hurt than I intended.

"I used to have parents, but they died a long time ago. I don't have parents anymore." I was so sickened with them; I was tempted to rip the motors out of their ship, so they'd be stuck with nowhere to go.

"That's enough of that, young lady, now listen to what we have to say," my Dad ordered, hushing me and my mom. "We are willing to ATTEMPT…being a family again. I'm not saying we will succeed, but we can try."


	15. Chapter 15: What?

Well, I couldn't say I was completely pleased. To have been abandoned for so long, then swept up into a broken family once more. I felt a little cheated of the time I had spent alone, wandering the ocean. Well, I was still happy that I'd be in my own home again, even though the place had become strange for me. I was still halfway into the sub when my father had dumped this on me, so he was still waiting for an answer.

"But…what about Hatori?" I asked, seeing their puzzled expressions. "I can't just leave him…"

"Oh, you mean that young man over there," my Mom pointed out, gazing out the front window. "Well, sure, he can come." Nodding in appreciation, I dropped out from under the sub and rejoined my group. They still didn't know of the change in plans, so now would be the time to reveal it.

"Well, Father has decided to accept us into his home again…" I said slowly. Lily's face was already lighting up and I hadn't even got into detail. "Hatori can come too, so-"

"Yay, we get to be a family again! This is great!" Lily squealed, squirming out of Hatori's grasp. She had started to paddle over to the Slicky, but with great speed, I swept her up to prevent further harm to the poor girl.

After containing the wiggling, writhing mass of Lily, we all followed the sub to the bio home, climbing through the moon pool that I had long forgotten. As I crawled onto the deck, everything started flooding back into my head. There was the old sub sitting in the corner where I had learned to pilot aquatic vehicles, as well as my old manta board that had busted a while ago. Dad said he would fix it, but he had never gotten around to it. While I had lived here, all those things were just junk to me but now they symbolized home.

My bare feet padded across the puddled, iron floor towards the kitchen where familiar sounds were produced. There was the holo-vision, spouting the week's news from the Topside, as well as the sound of Lily's fish tanks humming and bubbling. I hadn't heard sounds like this in so long, it felt like a piece of me had been put back together.

Hatori and Lily came in after me, as well as Mom and Dad. They looked a little worried as to have disease-ridden mutant fish things in their home again, although they looked like they were at least trying to make a good impression. There wasn't much conversation the rest of the day, considering all the things I had missed in our home, as well as the things I had seen and the places I had visited. My parents were oddly quiet.

"So, how have you two been?" I asked, fearing for the worst that they would say 'good'. No one could just be 'good' after losing both of their children to the ocean. It was beyond comprehension.

"Well, we've had our ups and downs," my mom responded, worrying at the handle on a teacup. "It's been hard without you and Lily."

"It's been hard without you two, as well. Have you…shown any symptoms of _this_?" I asked, pointing to my gills. They looked a little taken aback, as if they hadn't expected me to notice that I actually _had_ gills.

"N-No, we're fine…" Mom said, although she looked even more worried than before. I knew I was screwing this up, making them feel awkward, but they had no right to be. If they abandoned us again, I would be broken.

"Hey…" Hatori said, looking slightly somber. He had been mysteriously absent for a while, and I wondered as to where he had went.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Looking closer, I saw there were dark circles under his eyes and he looked even paler than before. "You look sick…"

"I…I wanna go visit my mom…" he choked out. _He must have been reminded of his family from observing mine..._I thought. I understood completely, of course.

"Are you sure you're alright to? The last time you saw her…" I started, but he looked even more distraught.

"I know. I just…I wanna try to make this right…" he murmured. It was as if every word he spoke dragged his health down more and more. He could barely keep himself standing anymore. I stood up to give him a hand, but he was already hustling out of the kitchen. Deciding to just let him do his own thing, I returned to the couch where my family was seated. Lily had found her way into Mom's lap, which to be honest, seemed to disgust her quite a bit.

"I wonder why he left so fast…" my Dad muttered, looking wistful. "I bet he's sick with this…disease. It'll probably kill off the lot of you." My Dad's words were cruel, but to point it put would be disrespectful. Although, he barely deserved my respect.

"We have decided on a course of action," my Mom suddenly blurted, startling Lily. "Some way to cure you of your illness. But just you, Mefreet."

"Why only me?" I asked. If there was a plan to supposedly cure us, I would want Lily and Hatori to be cured as well. Something was wrong.

"Because we have come to believe that yours is the most serious, and that you are in the most danger of dying from this." She went on, her voice shaking slightly. I was taken aback slightly by this, considering I didn't feel death-y at all.

"Mom, I'm completely fine. This isn't going to kill me, and I know it. In fact, I feel even more energetic now than I was as a human." I explained. My parents seemed to flinch at the word 'human' but it had to be said. Even I had accepted it. I was no longer human.

"Enough talk like that. You've never had this before, so don't you dare say what this is," my Dad barked growing angry. "Lily will stay next door with Zoe and Ty, while we will execute our plan to change you."

I had a foreboding sense of danger prickling the hairs on my neck, which physically disturbed me. I always trusted my senses, and whatever I was about to hear wasn't going to be good. My parents looked to each other for reassurance, and then hit me with it.

"We're moving you Topside." 


End file.
